Objective The objectives of ENTA are;- To conduct multicentre trials on the treatment of HIV infection, through an independent network, focusing on trials:which are not funded by the industry:aiming to define standard therapeutic approaches for relatively rare disorders such as Kaposi's sarcoma;aiming to improve the prevention of major infections complicating HIV infection.The aim of the network is to avoid duplication of trials implemented in the United States or elsewhere in Europe. By identifying those aspects of clinical research which are not covered by national efforts and not funded by the pharmaceutical industry, the ENTA represents the specificity of European clinical research for which EEC funding is the main financial support.- To collaborate with other concerted actions such as 'AIDS in Europe' for natural history studies.- To promote a regular exchange of personnel for training throughout the network in order to improve collaboration between teams, which will have a direct positive impact on clinical trials and the care of patients.At a time when acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) clinical research in Europe was done either on an individual basis or at national level the need for European collaborative studies was recognized and the European Network for Treatment of AIDS (ENTA) was established. Experience has shown that the joint collaborative efforts of ENTA were welcomed.The aim of ENTA is to conduct multicentre prospective trials on the treatment of HIV infection and the related opportunistic infections and cancers.5 prospective European multicentre trials on toxoplasmosis, tuberculosis and Kaposi have been implemented, and 51 centres from 11 countries have been involved.It has been shown that Pyrimethamine plus Clindamycin is a valuable alternative to Pyrimethamine plus Sulfadiazine for the acute treatment of cerebral toxoplasmosis. The study also demonstrated that Pyrimethamine plus Clindamycin at reduced dosages is less effective than Pyrimethamine plus Sulfadiazine in the long term prevention of cerebral toxoplasmosis relapse.In the study comparing a 3 drug and 4 drug treatment of HIV associated tuberculosis, it was shown that both regimens are equivalent in terms of efficacy and tolerance.A study has been started comparing the efficacy and tolerability, in the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma, of Interferon plus Zidovudine versus chemotherapy plus Zidovudine. It is planned to recruit 200 patients over a 2 year period.The European AIDS situation is characterized by an important epidemiological diversity. It has been shown that clinical manifestations of AIDS differ significantly between northern, central and southern Europe. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, CMV chorioretinitis and Kaposi's sarcoma are significantly more frequent in northern Europe, whereas tuberculosis and cerebral toxoplasmosis are much more prevalent in the southern parts. It has also been shown that the prevalence of PCP has decreased in recent years whereas an opposite trend has been observed for toxoplasmosis. Mortality patterns are also heterogeneous and longer survival has been generally observed in northern and central Europe as compared to the southern countries. The European epidemics also differ significantly from other developed countries such as the United States or Australia in terms of the incidence of opportunistic infections: toxoplasmosis and tuberculosis are much more frequent in Europe whereas cryptococcosis is more prevalent in the United States. Finally, an increased incidence of bacterial infections has been recently observed, which opens new fields of investigation in the area of antimicrobial agents and antibacterial vaccines.These considerations emphasize the fact that there is a continuous need for clinical trials taking into account:- The specificity of the European epidemic.- The variability of clinical manifestations throughout Europe.- The modifications in the incidence and prevalence of clinical manifestations that occur with time.- The variability of mortality rate throughout Europe.- The fact that comparative trials or trials involving rare disorders can be completed more quickly if recruitment is achieved on a multinational level. Fields of science social sciencessociologydemographymortalitymedical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesRNA virusesHIVmedical and health sciencesclinical medicinepneumologytuberculosismedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccinesmedical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncology Programme(s) FP2-MHR 4C - Research and development coordination programme (EEC) in the field of medical and health research, 1987-1991 Topic(s) 1.3 - Clinical research on AIDS Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CON - Coordination of research actions Coordinator Saint-Pierre University Hospital EU contribution No data Address rue Haute, 322 1000 Brussels Belgium See on map Total cost No data
